A large stage parted by a wall. Two people, each in his/her space, linked to each other by that which keeps them apart: a wall.
 An erected wall, what does that call to mind? A limitation, a separation, a frontier, a symbol (phallic of course), a habitat, a minimalist sculpture or maybe, in a more simple but no less strange way, an object which one would consider as a membrane – together moving and organic, frozen in its immobility, but porous through what will become of it? The wall: as a partition, it is also part of a structure dedicated to its own downfall. Let everything go to its own downfall? Let’s keep, for the time being, this last proposition, it will enable us 

to play with various temporalities, to preserve the space while modifying it, while altering it. It’s the theater as a place which is questioned, its frame and its conditions of admittance, and thus of the expectations connected to the artistic styles it welcomes (this time, dance: wall dancin’). Namely, the opacity of the wall will right away put a limit to the scope of the vision, whatever it may be, until it is confiscated, according to where the spectator is seated. One cannot question the singular space occupied by the spectator without touching on the naive belief in the democratic virtues of the contemporary architecture of our theaters: always a blind spot, always an obstacle. Shall we throw out the seats? To quote Samuel Beckett from memory: “Space does not separate the bodies, but bodies do separate space.” To engage in a temporal distortion, we use, other than the effects of shift produced by the video device and the repetition of some propositions, images filmed outside the stage; some of these situations are acted again on the stage, treated until they are dissolved, indeed destroyed. In strata, movement is broken up 

as a piece of music is sampled. Such an action (eat, shake, etc.) identical at first is biaised little by little, as if transfigured. Here, it’s the construction of the look that the spectator bears upon the movement, and the occurrences of thought it brings about which are important. What are we looking at, what are we waiting for? Or should we say: what is looking at us? 

A wall, as an architectural element, is one foundation of the systems which produce social, cultural and sexual (wall fuckin’) values, and which is only worth what it shelters or re-des-cover. The concern being to undermine this authority through displacement, repetition or disappearance. Or, through obsessional hints, to cause the appearance of the quest of two human beings living together while apart. Separated by a membrane, a skin, or by a wall; apart, but also reunited. The question is put: how can we (still) be together, how can we (sometimes) dance together. 

Alain Buffard [November 2002] 

A wall separates the stage into two identical spaces. Two film projections. Two solo performances which interact with the image. Régine Chopinot and Alain Buffard experiment with a concept, “Wall Dancin' Wall Fuckin'”, based on a well-known trend, that of postmodernity and visual arts. It starts with a film which speaks about intimacy, food and consumption, eroticism and sex. About the body and fashion. Using alternated sequences, the image plays with stops, accelerations and shifts. A technique using humour, always held back, but which sometimes skirts around the edges of obscenity. Then the rhythm accelerates, accompanied by soft and serious sounds, chanting a kind of orgasm of the materials. The same technique moves the dancers, with the image and on the stage. A little bit dirty, a little bit funny. With a quirky state of mind, unaffected, but always full of elegance.

Since the 1980s, Régine Chopinot has preserved the vitality of her method while avoiding the establishment of any identity. She constantly changes and renews her approach to choreography, but never how you expect.

Irène Filiberti (sources: programme by Vidéodanse, Paris, 2009 and programme from the Théâtre de la Ville de Paris, April 2002)

Alain Buffard starts dancing in 1978 with Alwin Nikolaïs at the Centre national de danse contemporaine in Angers. He dances in several productions from Brigitte Farges and Daniel Larrieu, as well as Régine Chopinot, Philippe Decouflé. He realizes a choreography for two plays with Marie-Christine Georghiu, accompanied by the Rita Mitsuko rock group, a first solo "Bleu nuit" in 1988, and Wagner's Master singers of Nuremberg staged by Claude Régy in 1989.

While carrying on his career of dancer, he works as an assistant in Anne de Villepoix 's Gallery for exhibitions on R. Zaugg, Fischli & Weiss, Chris Burden and V. Acconci. At the same time, he is a correspondent for two Norwegian daily papers, for which he covers visual arts events in France. He stops dancing between 1991 and 1996. In 1996 he makes two decisive meetings : one with Yvonne Rainer on the occasion of the updating of her play Continuous Project ­ Altered Daily by the Albrecht KNUST Quatuor, and another one with Anna Haplrin, with whom he is working as the winner of the "Villa Medicis - hors les murs" prize.

In January 1998 he creates "Good boy", his second solo, and then makes in 1999 two trios INtime / EXtime and MORE et encore. "Tout va bien" is premiered in June 2010 at Festival Montpellier Danse and his last piece "Baron Samedi" is created in April 2012 at the Théâtre de Nîmes where he was an associated artist for both seasons 2010-2011 and 2011-2012.

He also realized "My lunch with Anna", a film with Anna Halprin in California with the help of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in France and le Fresnoy national studio for contemporary arts, where he was associated artist during the season 2004-2005.

Source: Alain Buffard 's website

Born in 1973, Sophie Laly graduated from the Dijon School of Fine Arts in Dijon, France. She creates video installations and videos that question and dissect notions of time and space-time. Her work is inspirational, spanning several different fields such as cinema, biology and physics. She became a film projectionist in Paris in 1999. Because of personal interest, she has developed a close connection with contemporary dance, creating films for choreographers ; Daniel Larrieu, Alain Buffard, Christian Rizzo, Emmanuelle Huynh, Latifa Laâbissi, Boris Charmatz, Christian Rizzo, David Wampach, Deborah Hay, Marco Berettini, Yves-Noel Genod, Carlotta Sagna, Lionel Hoche, Laure Bonicel, Thierry Baë, Sylvain Prunenec, as well as for the SACD (since 2007, for the « Sujets à Vifs » at the Festival d'Avignon).

She has participated as artistic collaborator and/or video artist in different projects : Emmanuelle Huynh (Ligne d'arrivée, 2004), Rachid Ouramdame (A l'oeil nu, 2003/2005, Les morts pudiques, 2004, Cover, 2005), Richard Siegal (Stranger/stranger report, 2006), Daniel Larrieu, (video-controls for Waterproof, 2006), Latifa Laabissi (Habiter, 2007), Dysfashionai - adventure in post-style (Luxembourg 2007), Elisabeth Naud and Luc Poux, architects (spatial design of a slideshow for their exhibition at the Galerie d'Architecture Paris - 2008), has directed filmed portraits for the Agence Pargade Architecte for the exhibition Subjectiver le lieu at the Galerie d'Architecture Paris (2012), has worked with Kader Attia for the editing of his videographic performances since 2011. Since 2008, she has collaborated with Christian Rizzo as video artist and assistant director on several projects : mon amour (2008), ni cap, ni grand canyon (2009, for the Opéra de Lyon), l'oubli, toucher du bois (2010), le bénéfice du doute (2012), Erwartung, Pierrot Lunaire, La Voix humaine (2010, operas produced by the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse) and Tannhäuser (2012, production of the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse). She created also with Christian Rizzo an installation / concert néo-fiction (2012) for the festival On the boards at Seattle.

She has been commissioned by the Musée de la danse / CCN Rennes/Bretagne - Boris Charmatz, to direct a film about the children of the project Enfants, a creation by Boris Charmatz for the Festival d'Avignon (2011). In 2011, she got a Fundation Beaumarchais grant for the writing of a feature film. PA, the shortest of her films, has just been rewarded by the CHERIES-CHERIS 2012, International Gay, lesbian, bi and trans film Festival in Paris (LGBT).

FILMOGRAPHY

Dance films :

more than 60 between 2002-2012

Art video :

2011 : big crunch

2010 : Singel man

2010 : LESS THAN A MINUTE

2008 : PA - Awards: Festival Chéries Chéris, Paris 2012 –Very short film / Nokia Paris-Roma Contest 2008

2007 : nous ne sommes pas

2005 : le vent a recommencé et de nouveau le ciel est devenu noir

2004 : N/EVER - prizewinning film – « Entraînements “ - Film And Video Contest - Association Edna and Siemens Arts Program

2002 : EVERY-

1999 : « on croit toujours qu'ailleurs c'est mieux » - interactive movie with a remote control

Art installation :

1999 : DON'T LET ME DOWN

1999 : « si tu savais à quel point… » Pénélope, 1999.

1998 : Trouble taking place

1998 : How could you dare ?

1998 : Repère. Point de départ.